Automatic camera-locking device.



4A. F. LANIJEIEIIJ.'

"AUTOMATIC CAMERA LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, Ism.

' 1,281, 175. Patented Oct. 8, 19I8.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY ALEXANDER r. LANDEFELD, or MANsriELD, omo.-

AUTOMATIC CAMERA-LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of `Letters Patent.

Application led April 20, 1917. Serial No. 163,513.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER F. LANDE- FELD a citizen of the United States, residin at Mansfield, in the county of 'Richlandran State of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Camera- Locking Devices, of which the following is .a specification.l

This invention relates to automatic cam-j era l-ocking devices and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed. l

The invention applies more particularly to box and folding cameras, or cameras of the type in which film rollers are `used. Amateur users of the cameras have experienced considerable loss and disappointment in the use of the camera in consequehce of forgetfulness 'to rotate properly the film roll afterone exposure to take a picture, in order to bring another portionof the film into proper position for exposure to take a subsequent picture.

The shutter of the camera is always set and operated by pushing the shutter lever to one side. To Ymake a picture, the shutter lever is pressed to one side to cause the shutter to openl and expose the film. When it is desired to take a subsequent picture the winding reel must be turned by the winding key to turn off enough of the film of the film roll for that picture, thereby turning a new film into position for the picture. The foregoing operation is repeated for each picture. The film roll is divided into exposures of suitable andthe same size, and is numbered consecutively. In the back of the v camera is a little red window, by watching in which, the numerals may be observed as they are brought to view therethrough by the turning of the film reel to bring a new exposure into the proper position to'take a picture. By operating the shutter by its lever the shutter is opened and the picture taken, as explained. At some. time before taking the next picture, the winding key should be turned to bring a new film into position. But as stated it is'somet1mes the case that through forgetfulness, the key is not turned and consequently a new film 1s not brought into position, with the result' that the subsequent picture is taken upon the one already taken, or in brief, a double exposure, as itJ is called, is had, and of course, both pictures rulned. What is even more annoying thanthe loss of the film, 1s

:be brought into position.

winding key the new lm is brought into the loss of the pictures, since it is the case that the factl .of double exposure is not known until the development of the pic-` tures. -As stated the shutter is operated by,

a lever by pushing the lever to one side and advantageis taken of this arrangement to provide a locking mechanism .which engages .the lever and locks it against 'being pushed from one side until a new filmis ready, in

Patented oet. s, 191s.v

proper position for the taking of the picture. Further provision is made for unlocking the shutter lever by the operation of the winding key to bring a new film into position, Thus if the shutter lever be ushed,

to take'a picture, but is found to be ocked, a double exposure is prevented, and the operatorfis rernlnded that a new film should By turning the position and the locking mechanism unlocked to permit the shutter lever to be pushed to 'operate the shutter to take the picture.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of the lever lockinmechanism; f ig. 2 is a similar view looking at the same at a right angle to the view shown in Fig.,1; e

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the device. Y

As 'illustrated in the accompanying) drawing, the locking device comprises a racket 1 which is suitably secured to the wall or side of the shutter box of the camera. A bell vcrank lever .2 is pivotally mounted upon the bracket 1 and a pin 3 is fixed to the body ofthe camera' and is located in the path 0f movement of the bell crank lever 2 and adapted to limit the swinging movement of the same in one direction. The

shutter operating lever is indicated at 4 and may be of usual pattern and may operate the shutter mechanism in a usual manner; the saidshutter mechanism is not shown.

A paw1'5 is pivotally mounted at the upper end of the lever 2 and the free end of the 4 The lever 2 is provided at a oint between its upper end and 'its point o pivotal connection with the bracket 1, with a finger 7 which is disposed under the lever 4 and which is spaced from the pawls 5.

A flexible tube 8 of rubber or other suit# able material is connected at one end with the bracket 1 and the opposite end of the said tubeis supported in a clip 9 or other suitable device attached to the body of the camera. 'A flexible element 10 is slidably mounted in the tube 8 and the said element may bein the formof a spring wire and one end thereof is located opposite the lower end of the lever 2 as best shown in' Fig. 1 of the drawings. The iilm rollei` 11 of the camera is of usual pattern and is journaled for rotation in the body of the same.A The shaft of the said roller is provided with an arm 12 and one end of the flexible element is located in the path of movement of the said arm l2.

From lthe foregoing description it is apparent that when the roller 12 is turned to ring a new portion of the film in position for an exposure the arm 12 will engage the adjacent end of the flexible element 10 whereby the said element is moved longitudinally through the tube v8 and the other end of the said element encounters the lower end of the'bell crank lever 2 whereby the said lever is swung and the pawl 5 is moved Ain a backward or counter `clockwise direc- Consequently when the lever 4 is depressed it strikes the-linger 7 `and swings the bell crank 2 back into engagement with the pin 3. Thus the bell crank 2 is swung back to its normal position as the lever 4 is de' pressed-to operate the shutter. When the lever 4 is released of the ressure it swings up past the pivotal pawl) 5 which yswings and distorts the spring 6. There is sufficient friction at the pivot of the bell crank 2 to hold the sameduring` the distortion of the spring 6. When the lever 4 swings up When it is desired to manipulate the shutter lever without disturbing the film, flexible element 13 which is similar in structure and arrangement to the element 10 may be depressed whereby the lever 2 is swung, and thus avtime exposure may be had. y

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that a camera locking mechanism of simple and durable structure is provided, and that the same is automatic in its action to retain and release the shutter operating lever at such time as the film roller is turnedin order to bring a new section or portion of the film in proper position for an expos/ure through the openm in the shutter. l

aving described the invention claimed is what is In combination/with a ihn roller havingV an arm of a` shutter lever, a lockin device comprising a finger attached to the lm roller, a bracket mounted adjacent the lever, a bell crank lever mounted on the bracket, a spring pressed pawl carried by the bell crank lever and normally positioned below the shutter lever, a pin mounted on the bracket for limitin the swinging movement of the bell crank z(lever in one direction, a iexible element mounted in a guide and having one end located in the path of movement of the arm and its other'end adjacent one end of said bell crank lever, and a finger carried by the bell crank lever and located in the path of movement of the shutter lever, csaid finger being-located at the o osite side of the pin from that side at w ich the end of the lever which carries the pawl 

